1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to a hand-held drinking apparatus and, more particularly, to a hand-held drinking apparatus having both therapeutic and amusement capabilities.
2. Description of the Related Art
A number of presently available therapeutic devices are designed to occupy a user's hands. The devices are manipulated by hand while the user works or day dreams in order to obtain therapeutic, stress-relieving effects. Many years ago, it was somewhat common for people to casually squeeze a piece of hard wax or putty. More recently, similar benefits have been obtained by squeezing small rubber balls and small bags filled with resilient granular material. However, as squeezing an object involves the use of most of the muscles in the hand, such prior art therapeutic devices can be quite fatiguing.
Meditation balls and "worry" beads are two other examples of hand-occupying therapeutic devices. A pair of meditation balls, which are normally made of steel or another metal, are held in one hand by the user and passed back and forth over one another through finger manipulations. "Worry" beads are simply a string of beads that the user manipulates with one or both hands.
Because the aforementioned therapeutic devices generally serve no other useful purpose, they tend to add to the clutter that accumulates on desks and in cars when not in use. Also, because they are not associated with a common utilitarian purpose, people tend to forget where they put them.
Similarly, everyday implements are often combined with amusement devices in order to increase the enjoyment of the user. Unfortunately, the vast majority of such devices are intended to amuse children, whose lives are considerably less stressful than those of adults. For example, infant high-chairs are often provided with toys, horns, etc. Another example is pencil erasers and drinking straws, which have been shaped in the form of cartoon characters. Still another example is disclosed in British Patent Specification No. 970,657, published in 1964, which is directed to a mug having a whistle built into the handle.